Schools · Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA schools
Kids attend one of 15 schools through grade 8, then one of 4 middle schools.
Grades, test scores, graduation, spending and every school, from U.S. Department of Education data.
TownTapestry School GradeNew
B+
Santa Maria’s School Grade: B+
The public schools Santa Maria’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 66% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
B-Graduation
California school districts we grade (1,139)Better than 66%
Lower resultsHigher results
California towns with similar household incomes (564)Better than 68%
Lower confidence. Built on 0 tested students and a graduating class of 1,949. With numbers this small, one year can move the grade.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on California’s state tests, each against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown below but don’t count toward the grade. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids: every district that serves it, weighted by the number of students tested in each. Tests count 60% and graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are lined up against the rest of California only. A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Individual schools are graded the same way on their own test results, against every public school in California with 25+ students. Private schools aren’t graded: they don’t take the state tests.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income closely, so a high grade partly reflects who lives in a town. That’s why we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
School path
Where Santa Maria kids go to school
Grades K–8
15 schoolsDepends on your address · see the list Santa Maria-Bonita Elementary School DistrictGrades 8
4 middle schoolsDepends on your address · see the list Santa Maria-Bonita Elementary School DistrictBased on district boundaries from the U.S. Department of Education. Check with the district before you enroll.
Graduation · class of 2020
91% graduate on time
Graduation rate
91%
CA: 87.6%
Graduating class
1,949
students
The share of students who started ninth grade together and earned a regular diploma within four years. #272 of 720 CA towns →
Districts
Two districts serve Santa Maria
Santa Maria Joint Union High School DistrictGrades 9–12 · 4 schools · 8,930 students
$19,746 per studentCA $21,206B+Santa Maria-Bonita Elementary School DistrictGrades K–8 · 21 schools · 17,408 students
$19,642 per studentCA $21,206Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Every school
All 24 schools in Santa Maria
Showing 1–24 of 24 schools
Jimenez Roberto and DR. Francisco ElementaryElementary · Grades K–8 · 1,177 students
PublicBruce (Robert) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 1,050 students
PublicAlvin ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 998 students
PublicTunnell (Martin Luther) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 917 students
PublicRice (William) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 887 students
PublicMiller (Isaac) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 883 students
PublicAdam (William Laird) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 874 students
PublicOntiveros (Juan Pacifico) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 869 students
PublicLiberty ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 865 students
PublicOakley (Calvin C.) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 849 students
PublicTaylor (Ida Redmond) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 849 students
PublicBill Libbon ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 834 students
PublicBattles (Washington) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 769 students
PublicFairlawn ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 716 students
PublicSanchez (David J.) ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 654 students
PublicSt. Mary of the Assumption SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 227 students
PrivateFesler (Isaac) Junior HighMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 974 students
PublicKunst (Tommie) Junior HighMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 912 students
PublicEl Camino Junior HighMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 830 students
PublicSanta Maria HighHigh · Grades 9–12 · 3,143 students
PublicPioneer Valley HighHigh · Grades 9–12 · 3,080 students
PublicTrivium CharterOther · Grades K–12
CharterValley Christian AcademyOther · Grades PK–12 · 373 students
PrivateEagles Christian AcademyOther · Grades 1–12 · 23 students
PrivateSchool data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Ratings are from neighbors on TownTapestry.